Scored on 6 verified owner verdicts, from 1,142 comments read across 4 communities
TL;DR
The clear majority of owners are enthusiastic, saying the SP101 cooks fries, wings, chicken, and pizza crisply enough to replace both a deep fryer and their full-size oven, and that the flip-up design is genuinely useful for reclaiming counter space in small kitchens and RVs. Many say it's become their most-used kitchen appliance, used daily for months or years without issue. A meaningful minority pushes back hard, though: cleaning the fixed interior and heating elements is repeatedly called a chore, the low clearance rules out whole chickens or tall dishes, and a cluster of owners report units dying within a year, running loud for long stretches after cooking, or producing visible smoke during use. Toasting performance also draws scattered complaints for uneven browning.
83% of 6 verified owners recommend the Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven SP101, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
What 6 owners say
1,142 comments reviewed · scored on the 6 clearest verdicts
83%
Recommend
5 owners
0%
Neutral
0 owners
17%
Don't recommend
1 owners
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
100%
1
Other forums
75%
4
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer), but here they sit too far from the owner consensus on Reddit and forums — channel comment sections can skew heavily positive or negative by trend — so they're shown for perspective and kept out of the score.owner comments
61%
245
Affiliate blogsiThese blogs earn a commission when you buy. Across our data they rate products ~35 points more positively than actual owners — shown for transparency, never counted in the score.paid commission
100%
4
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
—
181
Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 83%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Owners consistently say it produces crispy, delicious results across fries, wings, chicken, pizza, and roasted vegetables, often better than deep frying or a full oven · 22 · 367%
Replaces the conventional oven for most everyday cooking, preheats in under a minute, and doesn't heat up the kitchen the way a full-size oven does · 17 · 283%
The flip-up storage design is praised for reclaiming counter space, especially by owners in small kitchens, RVs, and motorhomes · 10 · 167%
The multiple cooking modes (bake, roast, air fry, toast, dehydrate) let owners handle a wide range of dishes with one appliance · 8 · 133%
Many owners report years of reliable daily use, with several citing 5-8+ years before any issues appeared · 6 · 100%
What owners flag
Difficult and time-consuming to clean, especially the fixed heating elements and interior, which owners say require scrubbing with SOS pads or similar abrasives after every use · 14 · 233%
Low interior clearance means whole chickens, tall roasts, thick bread, and some 12-inch pizzas don't fit, and food placed near the top rack can touch the heating element · 11 · 183%
Noisy in operation, with the cooling fan running loudly for 20-30+ minutes (or hours, per some reports) after cooking finishes · 7 · 117%
Reliability complaints of units failing within 11 months to about a year, typically losing heat, tripping an error, or the temperature control breaking · 7 · 117%
Reports of visible smoke or a burning smell during cooking, in some cases described as dense white smoke filling the room · 5 · 83%
Who it's for
A great fit if
Small-counter households who want to flip it up and store it vertically
Solo cooks or small families replacing a full oven for everyday meals
Anyone wanting faster, no-preheat cooking for fries, wings, and roasted veggies
Hot-climate cooks who want to avoid heating up the kitchen with a big oven
Look elsewhere if
Anyone cooking whole chickens, tall roasts, or artisan bread that needs headroom
Buyers who hate scrubbing hard-to-reach interiors and non-removable heating elements
Toast purists, since browning is frequently reported as uneven or unreliable
Synthesized from what Foodi 8-in-1 Digital Air Fry Oven SP101 owners say — not a spec sheet.
Top quotes, sourced
1,142 reviewed · 246 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“The oven looks really lopsided on the top.”
YouTube— neutral
“The fries are not consistant because they are not spread out evenly.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“So…. I’m an idiot. I’ve had mine since early 2020 and somehow completely missed the fact that it was made to flip up for storage. My ONLY complaint about my Foodi was that it always said “FLIP” after my food was done. I’ve thought this whole time that it was telling me to flip the dang food. 🤪”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I've had mine since Nov of 2019....literally haven't used my big girl oven since I got it. Got rid of my toaster too. Keep these amazing videos coming Vivian, you're beautiful.”
YouTube— neutral
“Pro: cooks great and fast
Cons: Very... very hard to clean the interior.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“At about 10 min I checked on it and they was well past done , but still edible.”
YouTube— neutral
“i have the exact same model .. however; CLEANING MUST BE DONE AFTER EVERY USE; otherwise, cleaning will need elbow grease.. SOS pads....it took me 30 minutes to clean. the inside was all brown with grease. it came out alot better than before but i will live with it”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Thank you for not editing out the sheet pan warping. Besides being a significant warning to everyone”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I, like many, try to ignore instructions. This video gave me all the basics I needed. I've only tried air fry, air broil and air roast so far and everything came out pretty darn perfect. Chicken was crispy and moist, salmon was lovely and the heated pizza was almost like the first time. I'm a 77-year-old senior and I'm happy and confident to learn a new way to cook with this Ninja Foodi. Love it!”
YouTube— neutral
“I have the older model and oil or something leaks into the flip mechanism and when I stand it up it looks yucky. Mine has been through the ringer so I’m considering upgrading to the new one”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I actually have this and I use it more than my full oven. Totally jealous that I didn’t get super duper Walmart lady discount. 🙁”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Ninja is a little misleading about the preheat.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“We recently bought one and our main issue is how thin it is. There's not a lot of space between the top rack and the heat lamps above. I put a couple pieces of fried chicken breast in the top rack and didn't realize the chicken was touching the light bulb. It made the most horrendous smell and the oil splatters get onto the light bulbs as well. 🥺”
YouTube▲ recommend
“I was lucky enough to get one of these at a garage sale for $10. We use it multiple times a day for over a year now. It’s well worth the money.”
YouTube— neutral
“I didn't get as many recipes in my paperwork, though. Only 2 recipes.”
YouTube— neutral
“I was a little disappointed with the consistency of the french fries”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“It seems too close to the top and I don’t understand why there’s no drip pan under the basket”
YouTube▲ recommend
“You don't use the pan under the air fryer rack when air frying fries. You only use the pan if you are cooking fatty, oily, or marinated ingredients. Secondly, you are supposed to turn the basket 180° halfway through cooking cycle for even browning and crispiness. It's says both of those things right in the manual. Not trying to be mean, but you really should thoroughly read the instructions before reviewing a product. I use my Ninja SP101 all the time and don't burn things like you did. I cook everything from filet mignon to frozen jalapeno poppers in mine and they come out perfect every time.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Absolutely love mine! I use it for almost everything and hardly every use my big oven. Love that it hugs the wall and opens up my counter when I don’t need it. Great review!”
YouTube— neutral
“just wish it wasn't digital”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“The old model can be a racket when hot running in air fry mode.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Best toaster oven we’ve ever had. Close to everyday use for the past 6 months.”
YouTube— neutral
“It does work good, but check reviews on cleaning the oven, it’s very hard and time consuming,I used sos pads and easy off, then it looks old,
Sure, it looks good new, I have a self cleaning oven.why am I going back to scrubbing the WHOLE OVEN ,and I used the spray oil and cleaned it didn’t even cook like chicken or meat”
